1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and a tool for assisting and facilitating the learning process of learning-disabled individuals. More particularly, the present invention relates to a computer-assisted special educational method which can accommodate each individual learner""s special need by allowing a dynamic setup of teaching material, such as its content and level of difficulty, by remembering each individual learner""s learning skills and learning progress, and by providing rewards based on each individual learner""s actual performance (in form of earned credits or tokens) with an adjustable rewording threshold to suit each learner current ability.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the advance in computer science and technology and the ever-increasing availability of computers in schools and households, computer-assisted learning methods have become well-known. Generally, those methods comprises two main components: hardware and software. Hardware basically includes a CPU, RAM, motherboard, keyboard, disk drives, monitor, and speakers, etc. Software, on the other hand, is intangible and comprises special instructions in form of sequences of xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d, or binary codes. Software or more specifically, a collection of binary codes, is usually stored in a medium which allows access by hardware (such as by a disk drive) and is understandable by the CPU. The CPU processes the software binary code and perform the work instructed by the code, such as displaying a picture on the monitor or playing a sound in the speakers. The methods of developing software are also well known in the art.
Many educational software programs have been written and available in the market. To the applicant""s knowledge, however, those programs generally lack the capability to (1) record information about the teacher and the leaner, vocal teaching commands, and vocal responses in the form of static tables, (2) allow each individual education (teachers, therapeutists or parents) to make or collect his or her own teaching materials, put them into the software program and use them as if they were built-in materials, (3) permit dynamic lesson setup so that each lesson can have different combination of teaching materials, built-in or freshly made by the educator, to suit each individual learner""s actual needs, (4) permit customization of teaching parameters, such as instructions, commands and responses which can be in different voices. For example, the living book serial produced by Broderbund Software, Inc contains only static stories, that is, stories pre-created by the software providers. Those pre-created stories cannot be added, modified and reorganized.
Thus, one of the objects of the present invention is to overcome the static nature of conventional educational software and to provide a computer-assisted method that is dynamic and fully-customizable, suitable for children and particularly for those with learning difficulties, such as individuals with autism.
This and other objects are attained by the practice of the present invention, which provides a computer-assisted method of learning having the following features: (1) discrete-trial methodology, (2) text/voice/picture/video based instructions and teaching materials, (3) database supported management system, (4) fully customizable lesson setups, (5) automatic progress monitoring and reporting, and (6) comprehensive reward system. The method is suitable for school and home.
Teaching Material
According to one feature of the present invention, teaching materials can be created by educators themselves and put into the teaching system as if they were built-in materials from the software provider. This permits a dynamic, fully-customizable teaching material setup by blending built-in materials with educator""s own teaching materials.
Lesson Parameters
Another aspect of customization of the teaching methods of the present invention is that the lesson parameters, such as instructions, commands and responses, are also changeable so that if a student prefer his or her mother""s voice, or a particular friend""s voice, or a particular pet""s voice the method can provide the aforementioned lesson parameters in one or more of those particular voices to stimulate the student""s learning process.
Lesson Setup
The method of the present invention provides a mechanism of setting up each lesson for each student according to the student""s particular learning situation. There can be many lessons types, such as object identification, concept, multi-word command, math, and reading, etc. Custom-setup by an educator can be easily achieved through combination of different lesson types, lesson parameters and, most importantly, variety of teaching materials.
Lesson Playing
In the present invention, a learner working on a lesson is called playing a lesson because it is an interactive process, involving interaction with familiar voices (that can be setup as the mother""s, father""s or even a favorite dog""s, pre-recorded and input into the learning system). The playing is based on the discrete-trial methodology, which includes four major steps: (a) item presentation, (b) instruction, (c) response, and (d) consequences. Each lesson can be played one at a time, or can be played in automatic mode, where pre-setup lessons can be played sequentially without teacher""s intervention.
Reward System
The present invention provides a reward system. When it is turned on, a student can earn credits on the money board during a lesson playing. A reward (such as showing a movie) will be awarded when a predetermined credit requirement is met. The reward system is programmable such that the parameters in the reward system, credit requirement, the type of reward, can be setup by an educator. Therefore, when the playing in the automatic mode and the reward system is on, the computer becomes virtually a playing/learning station.
Program Report
The computer-assisted learning method of the present invention collects progress data automatically. Progress reports can be generated and printed periodically per lesson, per lesson type, per student, per class, and per school.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of the disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages, and specific objects attained by its use, reference should be made to the drawing and descriptive matter in which there are illustrated and to described preferred embodiments of the invention.